A Trip To Panama City :: essays research papers

A Trip To Panama CityDay 1We arrived at Omar Torrijos airport via American Airlines betimes in theafternoon. We purchased our required tourist cards (3 balboas, as US dollars argoncalled in Panama) at the airport, then caught a taxi for the 18 mile dun to ourdown townsfolk hotel. The ride in the battered, un-airconditioned car was ratherexpensive (30 balboas), but the driver spoke English and was very friendly. Wearrived at the hotel and checked in. While my soda weatr was checking in I bought aguidebook in the hotel lobby and read up on the history of Panama City. Theoriginal metropolis was founded in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias theCruel, because of his eradication of all but three of the local Indian tribesduring his tenure in Panama. Davila used the city as a fanny to store Incangold before it was shipped to Spain. The original city was sacked and burnedin 1671 by a group of buccaneers led by enthalpy Morgan. The city was rebuiltwithin a year, this time on a peninsula 18 miles away and surrounded by astrong wall. This old Spanish city is now the in the middle downtown PanamaCity.Panama City is an international melting pot and its eating choices rangefrom American fast nourishment to excellent internationall cuisine. Eager to begin oursightseeing, we grabbed lunch at a nearby McDonalds after checking in thencaught a bus. The buses in Panama are a tourist attraction in themselves. Theyare brightly painted, hung with fringe, and have constantly blaring Salsa andCaracas music playing. They are cheap (50 cents a ride). but are very crowded.After asking several drivers Donde va este autobus? we finally found one goingto the Plaza Independencia. This plaza is the main square of the colonial townand is contact on one side by a cathedral with twin mother of pearl towers thattook 108 years to complete. On two other sides it is bordered by theArchbishops Palace, now a university and the Central Post Office. While in theold part of Panama City we also visited the Iglesia de San Jose and saw theGolden A altar. This altar was in the original Panama City and was saved fromHenry Morgans pirates by a monk who painted it black to disguise it. When wefinished touring we returned to our hotel and then ate dinner at El Pez de Ora,one of the city famous seafood restaurants.Day 2We woke early and headed out for a morning of shopping at the Mercado